KNU Wants Government Recognition of Ethnic Communities and Armed Groups’ Land Ownership Policies Karen National Union leaders has called for respective state and regional governments to recognized land rights and policies that are already in place for decades in ethnic areas and agreed to by both ethnic communities and armed groups. Padoh Mahn Mahn, the joint general secretary of the Karen National Union made the call to the government during the launch of the KNU’s land policies in Rangoon on May 25. Padoh Mahn Mahn said that the KNU wanted the “state governments to recognize the landownership and land rights [documents] issued by ethnic armed organizations to the people.”